A complete archive of our past news articles, beginning in Fall 2016; older articles from our previous website are available in the historical archive

north_spit_-by_alex_derr.jpg Great news arrived today (12/9/2016). The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a final denial of the proposed Jordan Cove LNG (liquefied natural gas) export terminal on Coos Bay’s North Spit. This may not be the final conclusion to the story, but it is a major breakthrough for the coalition that has opposed LNG...Read more

Shoreline at Otter Rock. Photo by Kirt Edblom. Given the predilections of the incoming administration, the possibility of a federal push to allow oil and gas leases or mining permits in federal waters off Oregon’s shore looms larger than it has for a generation. That makes the current public comment period for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)...Read more

Rising seas are only one result of climate change. Photo by Bruce Swenson. One possible impact of climate change in the Pacific Northwest, indirect but important, could be increased population due to “climate refugees.” Most projections of future climate change suggest that our region will be less dramatically impacted than many, leading to speculation that...Read more

sand_lake_spit_shoreline_by_jim_hauge.jpg It has taken nearly a year and a half and several rounds of public hearings and comment periods, but the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission has now approved the draft master plan for the new Sitka Sedge State Natural Area Master Plan just north of Tierra del Mar in Tillamook County. The...Read more

Beached bird training. Photo courtesy of COASST. CoastWatch has long sponsored several citizen science projects, such as the beached bird survey in which many mile adopters participate. Over the course of the past year, though, we have expanded the range of these projects. We now conduct seven citizen science projects. Through our "Community Engagement with...Read more

King Tide at Toledo boat launch. Photo by Gregory Henton. For the seventh year, Oregonians are participating in the King Tide Project, the state’s branch of an international citizen science initiative. The project is sponsored in Oregon each year by CoastWatch, along with the Coastal Management Program of the Department of Land Conservation and Development, and...Read more

Horsfall Beach at the southern end of the Oregon Dunes. Photo by Dina Pavlis. The Oregon Dunes, the longest stretch of coastal dunes in the United States, is a dynamic landscape. Their dynamism depends on moving sand. The introduction of non-native species, especially the highly invasive European beachgrass, has created a severe threat to the dunes, through...Read more

north_spit_small_by_alex_derr.jpg In one sense, a lot has been going on with regard to Oregon Shores’ long-running struggle (together with many allies) to block development of an LNG (liquefied natural gas) export facility on Coos Bay’s North Spit. In another sense, nothing has happened. All of which is to say that the news lately has been about...Read more

kayaks_haystack_sonja_peterson2.jpg What areas of the coast do you consider most precious? Which stretches of shoreline need better protection? What do you like to do when you visit the coast? How strongly to you support marine reserves, wave energy development or ocean planning? A research team at Portland State University would like to know...Read more

Meg Reed presenting her findings as a Coastal Fellow. The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) has said a fond good-bye to Laren Woolley, long-time Coastal Shores Specialist, who retired at the end of September. He has been a familiar figure in discussions about coastal hazards, both those immediately threatening, such as earthquakes and...Read more